CIHM 
Microfiche 
Series 
(Monographs) 


ICI\AH 

Collection  c*e 
microfiches 
(monographles) 


m 


Canadian  matituta  for  Hiatorical  Micraraproductiona  /  Inatitut  Canadian  da  microraproductiona  hiatoriquaa 


©1996 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes  /  Notes  technique  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best  original 
copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this  copy  which 
may  be  bibliographically  unique,  which  may  alter  any  of 
the  images  in  the  reproduction,  or  which  may 
significantly  change  the  usual  method  of  filming  are 
checked  below. 


0' 


Coloured  covers  / 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I     I  Covers  dannaged  / 

' — '  Couverture  endtmmagie 

I     I  Covers  restored  and/or  laminated  / 

' — '  Couverture  restaur^  et'ou  pellicula 

I     I  Cover  title  missing /LetitiBde  couverture  manque 

I     I  Coloured  maps  /  Cartes  gtegraphiques  en  couleur 

^^  Coloured  ink  (I.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)  / 

Encre  de  couleur  (I.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

r^  Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations  / 

' — '  Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

j     I  Bound  with  other  material  / 

' — '  Reli*  avec  d'autres  documents 


D 
D 


D 


0' 


Only  editton  available  / 
Seule  6<Mon  disponible 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin  /  La  reliure  serr6e  peut 
causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la  distorslon  le  long  de 
la  marge  int^rieure. 

Blank  leaves  added  during  lestoratxxis  may  appear 
within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these  have 
been  omitted  from  filming  /  II  se  peut  que  certaines 
pages  blanches  ajouties  lofs  d'une  restauration 
apparaissent  dans  le  texte,  mais,  kxsque  cela  6taH 
possible,  ces  pages  n'ont  pas  M  (amies. 


L'Institut  a  microfilme  le  meilleur  examplaire  qu'il  lui  a 
6te  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details  de  cet  exem- 
plaire  qui  sont  peut-6tre  uniques  du  point  de  vue  bibli- 
ographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier  une  image  reproduce, 
ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une  modifications  dans  la  m6th- 
ode  nomnale  de  filmage  sont  indiques  ci-dessous. 

I     I      Cokxired  pages  /  Pages  de  couleur 

[    ]     Pages  damaged/ Pages  endommagees 

I     I     Pages  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
' — '     Pages  restauries  et/ou  pellicul6es 

r^     Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed  / 
' — '     Pages  decolorees,  tacheties  ou  pk)uees 

I     I     Pages  detached  /  Pages  d*tachees 

ly/l      Showthrough  /  Transparence 


D 
D 
D 


D 


Quality  of  print  varies  / 
Oualiti  inigale  de  I'impressnn 

Includes  supplementary  material  / 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppl6mentalre 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc..  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image  /  Les  pages 
totalement  ou  partlellement  obscurcies  par  un 
feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure,  etc.,  ont  He  filmtes 
i  nouveau  de  fa^on  a  obtenir  la  meilleure 
image  possible. 

Opposing  pages  with  varying  colouration  or 
discolourations  are  filmed  twice  to  ensure  the 
best  possible  image  /  Les  pages  s'opposant 
ayant  des  colorations  variables  ou  des  dteol- 
orations  sont  filmtes  deux  fois  afin  d'obtenir  la 
meilleur  image  possible. 


AddWonaJ  comments  / 
Commentaires  suppfdmentaires: 


Part  of  cover  title  MiMen  by  laliel. 


This  item  is  film«d  it  ttit  raduetion  ratio  chaefced  balow/ 

Ca  docwnant  ast  filmi  au  tau«  da  rMuction  indiqui  ei'danotn. 

10X  14X  18X 


22X 


Tha  copy  filmad  har*  has  baan  raproducad  thanka 
to  tha  ganaroaity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


L'axamplaira  fllmi  fut  raproduit  grica  k  li 
OtnAreail*  da: 

Blbllothe^ie  natlonale  du  Canada 


Tha  imagaa  appaaring  hara  ara  Iha  baal  quality 
poaiit)la  conaidaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  conuact  apaciticationa. 


La«  imagai  luivantat  ont  M  raproduitas  avac  I* 
plus  grand  aein,  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattaii  da  I'axainplaira  film*,  at  an 
conformity  avac  laa  conditions  du  control  da 
filmago. 


Original  copiaa  in  printad  papar  covara  ara  fllmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  en 
Iha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustralad  impraa- 
aion.  or  Iha  back  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
ethar  original  copiaa  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion.  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illuatratad  imprasaion. 


Laa  aaamplalraa  originaux  dont  la  couvartura  an 
papiar  aat  Imprimta  sont  filmas  an  eommancant 
par  la  pramiar  plat  at  an  larminani  soil  par  la 
darnlAra  paga  qui  compona  una  amprainta 
d'Imprassion  ou  d'illustration,  soil  par  la  sacond 
plat,  salon  la  eas.  Toua  laa  autras  axamplairat 
originaux  sont  filmte  an  eommancant  par  la 
pramiAra  paga  qui  compona  una  amprainta 
d'impraaaion  ou  d'illuatration  at  an  tarminant  par 
la  darnitra  paga  qui  eemporta  una  talla 
amprainla. 


Tha  last  racordad  frama  on  aach  microficha 
shall  conuin  tha  symbol  — » I  moaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  tha  symbol  V  Imaaning  "END"), 
whichavar  appliaa. 


Un  daa  symbolaa  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
darnitra  imago  da  ehaqua  microfiche,  salon  la 
cas:  la  symbola  •-^  signifia  "A  SUIVRE".  la 
aymbolo  ▼  aignifio  "FIN". 


Maps,  platas.  charts,  ate.  may  ba  filmad  ai 
diffaranl  raduciion  ratios.  Thosa  toe  largo  to  ba 
antirsly  includad  in  ona  axpoaura  ara  filmad 
baginning  in  tha  uppar  laft  hand  cornar,  laft  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  framas  as 
raquirad.  Tha  following  diagrams  illustrata  tha 
maihod: 


Los  cartaa.  planchas.  ubiaaux.  ate.  pauvant  ana 
filmte  A  das  taux  da  rMuction  diffOrants. 
Lorsquo  la  document  ast  irop  grand  pour  atia 
raproduit  an  un  saul  clich*.  il  aat  film*  i  partir 
da  I'angia  auptriaur  gaucha.  da  gaucha  1  droiia. 
at  da  fiaut  an  bas,  an  pranant  la  nombra 
d'imagaa  nteassaira,  Laa  diagrammas  suivants 
illustrani  la  mOthoda. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

MKROCOrV   aiSOlUTION   TiST  CHAIT 

(AWI  OIK)  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


1^ 

IM 


I 


2.0 
1.8 


I^M^I^ 


_^  /APPLIED  IIVHGE     in 

^^-^  1653   East   Main   Slreel 

gjg  RornMtar,   New  Yorti         14609       USA 

'■^B  (  ?  1 6)   482  -  0300  -  Phon> 

^S  (^'^)   2Ba  -  5989  -  Fax 


Tlit   Radiant  Road 


ETHELWYN  V^^ETHERALD 
AutAor  of  "Tangled  in  Stars,"  ttc. 


i'^"*^;AR'I'l  ct  V6R1TAT1 


BOSTON 
Richard    G.    Badger 

1904 


71G79 


Copjiinht.  lint,  b;  Bthtl«7a  WMh«>l<l 
Att  KlfUi  Ktrnmil 


Printed  at 
Tht  Gtrham  Prut 
Bit—,  U.  S.  A. 


To  A.   5.  M. 
("  The  Princess  Alice") 


Who  hai  warmed  with  the  radiance  of  her 
•pirit  so  many  roads  in  life,  thii  little 
book  is  affectionately  inscribed. 


CONTENTS 


The  Radiant  Road    . 

Come,  O  Spring 

My  Legacy 

My  Guardian  Angel 

Tlie  School  of  Pain 

Poverty's  Lot 

Unheard  Criticism     . 

Earth's  Angels 

The  White  Gifts 

The  House  We  Used  toJLive  ;in 

Legacies 

To  the  Mark     . 

When  We  Cease  to  Toil  and  Suffer 

The  Failure 

The  Price 

The  Battle 

Soul  and  Body 

To  a  Young  Child     . 

A  Meeting 

A  Line  from  Emerson 

Strength 

Work 

The  Bride  of  Death 

Pity  Me  Not     . 

Self-Righteousness    . 

Bereavement     . 

The  Awakening 

A  Profitable  Loss      . 

His  Turn 


7 
8 
8 
9 
9 
10 
10 
11 
11 
13 
18 
IS 
U 
16 
15 
16 
16 
17 
18 
18 
19 
19 
20 
20 
21 
21 
22 
28 
21 


To  My  Friend 

Lips  and  Eyes 

The  Poet's  Spring     . 

The  Rich  Mr.  Smith 

When  Time  Turns    . 

Honey  and  Salt 

The  Dead  Face 

The  Nightingale  and  the 

The  Haunted  Room 

The  Moonlit  River 

Love  and  Poverty 

The  Red  Rose 

When  I  am  Weariest 

Good-Bye 

Love's  Phases   . 

August  in  November 

At  Parting 

The  Swiftest  Though 

In  a  Dark  Hour 

The  House  of  Love  . 

The  World  Well  Lost 

Unknown  Children 

Responsiveness 

A  Happy  Lot 

Another  Year 

April  Buds 

News  of  Life 

Reminder 

Luck  in  the  House 


Thorn 


24 

25 

26 

27 

87 

28 

28 

29 

30 

SO 

81 

32 

88 

83 

31 

34 

3S 

35 

36 

37 

38 

39 

40 

40 

41 

41 

42 

42 

48 


THE   RADIANT  ROAD 

There  is  a  radiant  road  that  lies 
'Neath  sombre,  starred,  or  luminous  skies. 
And  every  sky  is  deep  with  meaning. 
And  big  with  hints  of  paradise. 

Sometimes  by  fields  of  youth  it  burns, 
Or  up  some  strenuous  steep  it  yearns, 

Or  moves  through  Memory's  haunted  wood- 
land. 
Or  to  Love's  dreamful  stream  returns. 

Whatever  ills  it  struggles  through, 
Or  rocks  and  snares  be  thick  or  few, 

A  gleam  of  some  celestial  splendor 
Shows  in  its  every  drop  of  dew. 

Ah,  fellow-traveler,  who  reads 
This  slender  rhyme  and  little  heeds, 

'Tis  we  who  tread  that  radiant  highway 
That  to  a  larger  radiance  leads. 

We  who  in  doubt  and  sadness  strive. 
Whose  earthy  thoughts  at  earth  arrive , 

Would  we  could  feel  with  lifted  spirit 
How  blest  a  fate  to  be  alive. 


w^ 


COME,   O  SPRING! 
^°^*'P  Spring!  unpack  thv  leave, 

^O' the  mu8ic  of  thy  streams. 

MY  LEGACY 

The  nttle  tree  I  planted  out 
Ana  often  muse  upon 

May  be  alive  to  grow  a^ndJhrive 

And  out  ,nto  the  sunlight  strait 
When  I  am  dead  and  gone 

So  it  shall  be  my  legacy 
To  toilers  m  the  sun 

And  plant  another  onef 


My  GUARDIAN  ANGEL 

When  from  my  task  I  fain  would  steal, 
And  into  vacuous  langour  slip, 

With  inward  bleeding  then  I  feel 
My  guardian  angel's  whip. 

Or  when  to  empty  revelry 

I  give  my  spirit,  though  it  sears 

And  shames  that  inner  self,  I  see 
My  guardian  angtl's  tears. 

Or  when  I  yield  to  grief,  or  fear, 
Or  scorn,  or  say  that  life  is  chaff, 

B<,wn  by  an  idle  wind,  I  hear 
My  guardian  angel's  laugh. 

THE  SCHOOL  OF  PAIN 

This  is  the  hard  school  kept  by  Pain, 
With  pupils  sad  and  white : 

While  some  shed  tears  like  falling  rain 
From  dreary  morn  till  night. 

Some  knit  the  brow  and  clench  the  fist, 
And  fill  the  heart  with  hate; 

And  some  cross  languid  wrist  on  wrist 
And  say  Pain  is  their  fate. 

But  those  that  study  very  hard, 
And  learn  that  Pain  can  bless, 

Are  sent  out  in  a  leafy  yard 
To  play  with  Happiness. 


POVERTY'S  LOT 
^Ffnl^ '?"»''' °""ttle  lot 

And  furnished  all  it,  room, 
UNHEARD  CRITICISM 

You  never  .aw  that  constantly 
A""  .he  man  you  might  hav;  been. 


10 


EARTH'S  ANGELS 

Angel  of  Youth,  how  swift  you  flew ! 

An;";  Tt  ^°"'"  ^°''^  «  ^4h 
Angel  of  Love,  good-bye  to  you- 
Good-bye!     Good-bye  I 

Angel  of  Work,  your  sweet  demand 
My  soul  enliveneth, 

An^^elTfar'"^-^"- '«'"'•• 

THE   WHITE   GIFTS 
These  are  thy  gifts,  O  Life  .- 

A  white  frost  on  the  hair. 
And  a  wintry  whiteness  on  the  cheek 

That  once  was  red  and  fair. 

These  are  thy  gift,,  O  Love: 
A  white  frost  on  the  veins. 

Where  once  were  fiery  pains. 
And  thy  great  gifts,  O  Death, 

Are  ,„  the  frost-bound  frame, 
The  ,ce-lockeo  iips,  the  white,  white  peace 

That  IS  too  deep  for  name  "«?<»<* 


THE   HOUSE  WE   USED   TO  LIVE  IN 

The  houie  we  used  to  live  in  looks  at  us 

So  wistfully  as  we  go  driving  hy. 
The  vvind  that  makes  its  lone  tree  murmurous 

Flies  swiftly  after  with  entreating  sigh. 
"Come    back,    come    back,"   we    hear   it   low 

implore, 
"Lift    up   the   grass-choked    gate,     the   earth- 

stained  door. 
And  enter  in  your  childhood's  home  once  more." 

Ah,  no,  let  us  make  merry  with  light  speech 

Of  newer  days,  and  thrust  the  past  aside. 
Close  to  that  door  the  baby  used  to  reach 

The  knob  and  play  with  it  —  before  he  died. 
He  used  to  sleep  on  the  broad  window-sill, 
A  sunbeam  on  his  curls.     No,  not  that  hill, 
This  level  road.     Drive  fast— oh,  faster  still  I 

How  small  it  was  I    Before  the  birds  have  grown 
They  lie  so  warmly  in  one  tiny  nest ; 

But  all  the  world  is  theirs  when  they  are  flown, 
And  foreign  roofs  replace  the  mother's  breast. 

Ah,  well,  God  careth.     See,  before  us  now. 

The  ampler  home  beneath  its  stately  bough. 

Lift  up  the  saddened  heart  and  clear  the  brow. 

For  in  that  empty  nest  beyond  the  hill 

Are  blessed  shadows  at  immortal  ease  : 
The  sun-crowned  baby  on  the  window-sill. 
The  happy  children  underneath  the  trees. 
Old  house,  look  not  so  piteous  !     thou  art 
Of  larger  lives  the  verj-  sweetest  part. 
The  first  love  of  the  unforgetting  heart. 


U 


LEGACIES 

Unto  my  friendf  I  give  my  thought!, 

Unto  my  God  my  soul, 
Unto  my  foe  I  leave  my  love  — 

That  it  of  life  the  whole. 

Nay,  there  is  something  —  a  trifle  —  left ; 

Who  shall  receive  this  dower? 
See,  Eanh  Mother,  a  handful  of  dust  — 

Turn  it  into  a  flower. 


TO  THK  MARK 

To  the  mark  goes  the  ship, 
Bird  and  boat  and  booming  train ; 

To  the  mark  go  eye  and  lip 
Deeply  loved  that  love  again. 

To  the  mark  the  arrow  sings, 
Planets  move  and  rains  descend ; 

To  the  mark  the  hammer  rings. 

To  the  mark  speaks  friend  with  friend. 

To  the  mark  goes  axe  and  plow. 

Shame  upon  thy  listless  aim 
If  it  glance  aside,  and  thou 

Fail  to  give  thy  work  thy  name. 


18 


It 


WHEN  WE  CEASE  TO  TOIL  AND 
SUFFER 

When  we  cuie  to  toil  and  luffer  and  beneath 

the  falling  leavei, 

Tako  the  long,  long  deep  that  comet  to  all, 

Will  an  angel  come  to  comfort  every  loul  that 

>it>  and  grieven, 

With  a  meuage  clear  at  writing  on  a  wall ; 

Saying,  "  She   that   paitrd  away,  though  her 
feet  were  made  of  clay, 
Bore  a  heart  as  chatte  at  gold ; 
Though    the   wore   the   common  yoke,   every 
tyllable  she  tpnke 
Was  uplifting,  love-controlled. 

No  indifference  or  disdain  kept  her  free  from 
others'  pain, 
Life  was  precious  to  her  —  every  drop; 
For  the  querulous  complaint,  for  the  breath  of 
scandal  faint, 
She  had  never  time  to  stop; 

She  has  gone,  but  still  her  face,  like  a  sunbeam, 
haunts  the  place, 
And  the  memory  of  her  foot  upon  the  stair, 
Like  a  breeze  upon  the  brow,  like  a  perfume 
from  a  bough. 
Puts  an  end  to  sorrow,  mourning  and  despair." 

When  the  silent  voices  call,  and  the  days  and 

years  ihall  fall. 
Silent  fall,  like  the  leaves  upon  the  lea. 
Will  the  angel  say  such  words  of  you  and  me  ? 


14 


THE  FAILURE 

A  Failure,  who  had  ne'er  achieved 

Self  victory,  at  last  lay  dead. 
"  Poor  Failure  I"  thui  hiii  neifthbori  grieved. 

"  Poor  miierable  wretch,"  they  taid, 
"  Hi»  weakneu  wa»  the  worst  of  crimes, 
He  failed  at  least  a  thousand  times." 

Meanwhile  the  Failure  gave  to  God 
His  vain  attempts.     Remorsefully 

And  prostrate  on  the  skyey  sod, 

"  I  failed  a  thousand  times,"  mid  he. 

"  Welcome  !"  rang  out  the  heavenly  chimes, 

"  He  strove — he  strove  a  thousand  times." 


THR   PRICE 

O  ardent  youth  who  covets  truth, 

And  follows  its  decrees, 
Remcmb'^r  this :  whatever  bliss 

Awaits  thee,  'tis  not  ease ; 

No,  ne'er  shalt  thou  find  ease. 

O  loving  heart,  where'er  thou  art, 

The  tumult  in  the  vein 
And  in  the  soul  is  not  the  whole 

Of  life.     For  thee  is  pain ; 

No  love  but  hath  its  pain. 

O  ye  who  strive,  the  fates  that  drive 
You  forward  in  your  quest. 

Will  give  in  strife  your  deepest  life 
And  not  in  empty  rest ; 
No  joy  for  you  in  rest. 


U 


THE  BATTLE 

On  one  iide  atandr,  the  world-dcslruyer,  Death, 
And  on  the  uther,  oh,  most  piteous  slrife, 

An  infant  with  a  rose  leaf's  look  and  breath, 
A  baby  fighting  for  its  little  life. 

Death  hati  seen  much  of  anguish,  dull  and  wild. 
And  terrible  and  sharp-edged  as  a  knife  j 

But  this  might   move   e'en   Death,   this  stricken 
child. 
This  baby  struggling  for  its  little  life. 

SOUL  AND   BOLY 

The  body  says,  "  I  am  thirsty," 
The  body  says,  "  I  am  cold," 

The  body  says,  "  I  am  weary," 
And  last  of  a'l,  "  I  am  old." 

And  for  iti  thirst  there  is  water, 
And  shelter  warm  in  the  blast, 

And  for  its  ache  there  is  slumber ; 
But  it  dies,  it  dies  at  last. 

But  I  am  a  soul,  please  heaven, 
And  though  I  freeze  in  my  cage. 

Or  bum  in  a  sleepless  fever, 
I  shall  live  untouched  of  age. 


IS 


TO  A  YOUNG  CHILD 

SwMt  infant,  lately  born, 

Almoat  I  envy  yuu 
Vour  little  heart  -inwom, 

Your  little  leniea  new. 

You  deep  and  deep  —  the  apell 
Of  ileep  ii  like  a  chain ; 

Ah,  once  I  >lept  at  well, 
So  shall  I  sleep  again  I 

Soon,  soon  your  cup  of  life 

Shall  run  in  wtnc  and  foam  ; 

And  afterward  conic  strife, 

And  hurts,  and  thoughts  of  home. 

Your  first  act  on  this  earth  — 

This  vale  of  tears  and  mist  — 

Was  but  to  wail  your  birth, 
Poor  infant  pessimist ! 

My  last  act  ere  I  die. 

When  fades  the  final  mile, 
And  fails  thu  final  sigh, 

I  think  will  be  to  cmile. 

But  should  you  linger  near 
That  happy  smile  to  see, 

I  truly  hope,  my  dear. 

You  will  not  envy  me. 


IT 


A  MEETING 

Beautiful  body  and  beautiful  soul, 
They  met  on  the  street  one  day. 

And  the  beautiful  spirit's  compassion  stole 
Through  her  ugly  eyes  of  gray ; 

And  the  dark  soul's  pity  showed  its  face 
Through  her  lovely  eyes  of  blue ; 

But  to  help  each  other's  evil  case 
Was  out  of  their  povifer  to  do. 

A   LINE  FROM  EMERSON 
To  thy  soul's  highest  instincts  O  be  true ! 
Though  thick  around  thy  heaven-girt  solitude 
Ihe  earth's   low  aims,  low  thoughts,  low  wants 

shall  teem. 
The  myriad  voices  of  the  world  shall  sue 
With  scorn,  persuasive  wile,  or  clamors  rude. 
"But    thou,    God's    darling,    heed    thy    private 

dream  ! " 


18 


STRENGTH 
For  strength  we  ask 

For  the  ten  thousand  times  repeated  task, 
The  endless  smallnesses  of  every  day. 

No,  not  to  lay 

My  life  down  in  the  cause  I  cherish  most, 

That  were  too  easy.     But  whate'er  it  cost, 

To  fail  no  more 

In  gentleness  toward  the  ungentle,  nor 

In  love  toward  the  unlovely,  and  to  give 

Each  day  I  live. 

To  every  hour  with  outstretched  hand  its  meed 

Of  not-to-be-regretted  thought  or  deed. 


WORK 

We  must  work  to  live, 

Not  body-life  alone  but  soul-life. 
If  to  our  work  ourselves  we  do  not  give. 

Our  thoughts,  our  aspirations,  and  our  whole 
life. 
Then  days  become  a  torture,  moments  wound. 

The  lightest  hours  are  leaden  at  the  core, 
And  oftentimes  we  hear  that  awful  sound 

Time's  ocean,  with  its  spirit-crushing  roar. 


It* 


THE  BRIDE  OF  DEATH. 
But  tell  ui  of  the  bride,  we  said. 

"  So  one  with  him  she  seemed  to  be, 
The  bridegroom's  kiss  upon  her  lips 

Lay  almost  visibly. 

Her  dress?    Oh,  roses,  roses  white. 

That  heaped  the  hands,  the  neck,  the  breast 

Of  her  the  whitest  rose  of  all 
That  ev.ir  bridegroom  pressed. 

A  glad  look?     Yea,  the  raptured  look 
Of  one  that  drops  from  out  her  slim, 

sweet  hands  all  other  gifts  of  life 
To  hold  them  out  to  him. 

Her  dower  ?     She  brought  him  nothing  save 
Her  lovehness,  her  life,  her  breath  ; 

He  gave  her  wealth.     And  title?     Yea, 
The  old,  old  name  of  Death." 


I 


PITY  ME  NOT 

Pity  me  not :  it  makes  me  pitiable. 

Grieve  not  for  me  :  'twill  set  me  grieving,  too. 
L.ome  not  forbodingly,  but  courage-full, 

And  speak  the  shining  word  that's  strong  and 
true.  " 

If  you  would  have  me  fearless,  have  no  fears; 

If  you  would  have  me  light  and  sorrow-free. 
Then  give  your  steps  the  music  of  the  spheres. 

Make  your  eye  steadfast  as  eternity. 


SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS 

Unto  the  iliamond  with  a  flaw 
The  perfect  pebble  spoke  : 
"  Alas,  poor  sister,  some  great  law 
Of  heaven  you  have  broke, 

"  Since  Imperfection's  curse  I  see 
Whene'er  your  form  I  view ; 

But  cheer  up  I      Some  day  you  may  be 
A  perfect  pebble,  too." 

BEREAVEMENT 

In  the  far  deeps  of  consciousness, 

Something  that  lies  profoundly  sleeping 

Awakes  to  life  beneath  the  stress 
Of  heart-sore  weeping. 

Some  certainty,  some  final  strength. 

From  which  there  can  be  no  appealing , 

An  inward  siireness  that  at  length 
Shall  work  our  healing. 

How  strange  it  is !     The  dark,  dark  path 
That  seems  to  lead  to  blackness  only, 

Will  surely  bring  us  peace.     It  hath 
Its  angel  I      'ly, 

Who  at  the  parting  of  the  ways 

Awaits  us,  for  our  grieving  clearer, 

And  to  our  dulled,  earth-blinded  gaze 
Brings  heaven  nearer. 


21 


THE  AWAKENING 
An  average  man  awoke  one  night, 
And  thought  of  his  past  in  the  pale  moonlight ; 
At  times  he  muttered,  at  times  he  moaned, 
And  once  he  very  distinctly  groaned, 
At  which  his  guardian  spirit  inquired 
What  secret  cause  this  dole  inspired 

!!  ^u^'  T''y  *"'' ^     ''"^  thinking,"  said  he, 
"About  the  people  I  used  to  be. 

"  There's  the  simpleton  I  was  when  —  well 

It  really  would  hardly  do  to  tell ;  ' 

And  the  unutterable  ass 

I  was  when  — but  we'll  let  that  pass; 

And  the  awful  idiot  I  was  when 

No,  don't  let's  speak  of  /Aat  again ; 

And  the  inconceivable  fool  I  made 

Of  myself  when  —  w/i_y  don't  memories  fade. 

Or  drown,  or  fly,  or  die  in  a  hole 

Instead  of  eternally  burning  the  soul  f 

But  at  any  rate,  you  now  can  see 

Why  I  mourn  o'er  the  people  I  used  to  be." 

The  p.ngt!  smiled  with  as  undefiled 

A  glance  as  that  of  a  little  child  ; 

And  said,  "  I  am  musing  happily 

About  the  people  you're  going  to  be : 

The  soul  that  has  learned  to  break  its  chains. 

The  heart  grown  tenderer  through  its  pains, 

The  ramd  made  richer  for  its  thought. 

The  character  remorse  has  wrought 

To  far  undreamed  capacities, 

The  will  that  sits,  a  king,  at  ease. 


Nay,  marvel  not  for  I  plainly  see 

And  joy  in  the  people  you're  going  to  be." 

The  average  man  felt  a  purer  light 
About  hia  soul  than  the  moon-ray  bright. 
For  once  no  evil  spirit  jeered 
And  the  average  man  was  strangely  cheered. 

A  PROFITABLE   LOSS 

There  came  a  little  blind  boy  to  steal  my  heart 

away, 
Then  said  I,  "  You  little  blind  boy,  I'll  have  to 

say  you  nay  j 
For  I  store  my  honey  in  it, 
And  I  keep  my  money  in  it, 
And  I  need  it  every  minute  of  the  day." 

He  stole  it,  did  the  blind  boy,  in  spite  of  all  my 

wrath, 
But  surely  she  that  hath  not  hath  more  than  she 

that  hath ; 
For  the  air  is  sweet  with  honey. 
And  the  earth  is  rich  with  money. 
And  the  twain  of  them  make  sunny  all  my  path. 

And  if  any  sage  should  ask  of  me  with  corrugated 

brow. 
Why  I  do  not  wish  my  heart  back,  I  only  could 

avow 
It's  because  a  little  money, 
And  a  small  amount  of  honey. 
Would  seem  rather  sadly  funny  to  me  now. 


S3 


n 


TO  MY  FRIEND 

Forget  not,  dearest,  vvlieii  thou  goes 
On  high  or  homely  tasks  intent, 
w"?'*^""""*''  '''"""'S  or  winter  snows 
With  thee  my  thoughts  are  blent. 

That  howso  harsh  the  c.'ty's  din. 

Or  solitary  seem  thy  place. 
Thou  still  art  folded  safely  in 

My  brooding  heart's  embrace. 


HIS   TURN 

A  good  soul  once,  not  without  qualms, 
Knocked  at  the  gates  eternal, 

And  begged  of  Lazarus  an  alms 
For  use  in  realms  infernal. 

"The  rich  man  of  whose  crumbs  you  ate 
Needs  water.     O  surprise  him 

With  just  one  drop."  He  smiled  sedate  : 
"  I  fear  'twould  pauperize  him ; 

"  And  then,  you  know,  I  can't  revoke 
My  rule,  which  is  unswerving, 

I  never  give  to  wealthy  folk 

Unless  they  are  deserving." 


M 


LIPS  AND  EYES 

Ai  I  passed  her  house  I  thought  I  would  call  and 

take  her  by  surprise. 
"Why,  how  do   you  do?"  said  her  lovely  lips; 

"  what  kept  you  away?"  asked  her  eyes. 

"  I  doubted  my  welcome,"  I  sadly  said,  and  spoke 

without  disguise. 
"  Are  you  sure  of  it  now  ?"  asked  her  laughing  lips, 

"  You  know  you  are  sure,"  said  the  eyes. 

"I  have  tried  my  utmost  and  more,"  I  said,  "to 

stifle  my  heart's  vain  cries ;" 
"  It's  a  serious  case,"  said  the  careless  lips ;  "  It  is 

for  us,"  said  the  eyes. 

"Your  cruel  words  dug  the  grave  of   Hope,  and 

m  Hope's  grave  Love  lies ;" 
"White  lies  or  black?"  asked  the  scoffing  lips, 

"  Oh,  piteous  sight,"  said  tlie  eyes. 

"  But   now  I   must   go,   for  I  sail  to-night,  and 

time  unpitying  flies;" 
"Don't   let  me   keep   you,"  exclaimed  the  lips; 

"do  let  us  keep  you,"  the  eyes. 

She   gave    me   a   cold,    cold  hand  to   take,    and 

we  said  our  last  good-byes ; 
And  then  as  I  feared  her  chilly  lips  I  kissed  her 

on  the  eyes. 

A  man  can  hear  two  languages  at  once  if  he  only 
tries ;  ' 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  dare,"  said  the  lips ;  "but 
we  see,"  said  the  eyes. 


n 


'il 


THE   POET-S  SPRING 

"  "^of  ^f"''  *"'  ""-y  '^P"'>fr  focms  after  Feb- 
ruary  21st."— Letter  from  an  Editor] 

When  January's  icy  beard 

Shakes  like  a  rattling  bough, 
The  poet's  heart  is  sweetly  cheered, 

'Tis  springtime  with  him  now. 
The  streamlets  flow,  the  warm  winds  ebb, 

Although  the  pipes  have  burst, 
For  summer  "  pomes  "  are  due  on  Feb- 
Kuary  21st. 

The  yellow  dandelions  gild 

The  snowdrifts  eight  feet  high. 
The  bluebird's  song  of  joy  is  spilled 

Beneath  an  iron  sky. 
How  sweet  on  zero  days  the  web 

Of  fancies,  poet-nursed, 
And  sad  that  blossoms  fade  on  Feb- 
Ruary  21st. 

Ah,  would  /  were  an  editor. 

While  wintry  blasts  endure, 
A  daisy  time  with  daisy  rhyme 
^  I'd  have,  you  may  be  sure. 
I'd  bathe  in  buttercups  ad  lib., 

And  all  my  buds  should  burst 
And  bloom  till  long  long  after  Feb- 
Ruary  21st. 


THE   RICH   MR.   SMITH. 

A«  past  the  magnificent  palace  we  bowled, 
The  driver  explained  this  exhibit  in  gold 
Was  made  by  the  millionaire,  Everard  Smith, 
A  man  whom  Success  was  on  pleasant  terms  with. 
But  while  we  exclaimed  and  admired  and  oh,  oh'd, 
Till  the  horses  were  turned  at  the  bend  of  the  road 
He  corrected  himself :  "  It  belongs  to  his  kith 
And  his  kin ;  he  is  now  the  late  Mr.  Smith." 
Somehow  that  word  "  late"  struck  us  cold  as  the 
chill 

Of  a  new-opened  grave  when  the  night-wind  is 

still, 
And  it  made  wealth  and  splendor  the  veriest  myth. 
As  we  sighed  in  a  whisper,  "Oh,  /oor  Mr.  Smith." 

WHEN  TIME  TURNS 
When  ashes  go  back  to  fire, 

And  the  cataract  to  the  upper  stream, 
And  fulfillment  to  desire, 

And  the  rugged  fact  to  airy  dream, 
Then  shall  dead  youth  awake  from  its  long 

sleep. 
And  life  like  a  tall,  slim,  silver  fountain  leap. 

When  the  mount  becomes  a  slope. 

And  the  dead  lea.'  a  pointed  bud, 
And  memory  is  hope. 

And  dying  limbs  bear  dancing  blood. 
Then  shall  young  love— then  shall  young  love 
return. 

And  the  old  love  tales  make  the  spirit  burn. 


27 


m' 


HONEY  AND   SALT 

Rose-leaf  d«miel,  tell  me  this— 
You  with  your  seventeen  years  — 

How  much  honey  is  in  a  kiss, 
And  how  much  salt  in  tears? 

"  Nay,"  Khe  said,  "such  words,  I  wis. 

Are  not  for  my  maiden  ears. 
How  should  I  know  the  sweet  of  a  kiss 

Or  the  bitterness  of  tears?  " 

White-haired  woman,  whose  grief  and  bliss 

Overrun  seventy  years. 
Tell  me  true,  does  the  sweet  of  a  kiss 

Outweigh  the  bitter  of  tears? 

"  Yea,"  she  said,  "  but  the  bitterness 
Enmixed  with  the  sweet  appears: 

My  life's  most  tender  and  treasured  kiss 
Is  kept  in  the  brine  of  tears." 


THE  DEAD  FACE 

The  pale  moon  and  the  pale,  pale  face 

Come  back  again  to  me  ; 
The  pale  moon  to  its  skyey  place. 

And  the  face  to  memory. 

Out  of  the  darkness  they  arise. 
And  with  the  dawn  depart  — 

The  moon  that  lights  the  empty  skies. 
The  face  that  lights  my  heart. 


THE  NIGHTINGALE  AND  THE  THORN 

A  niglitingale  quite  forlorn 

Thin  made  her  plaint  to  the  morn  : 
"  I've  hunted  in  vain,"  ran  the  pitiful  strain, 

"And  I  can't  find  a  sign  of  a  thorn. 

There's  nothinf;  to  make  me  sad, 

There's  not  a  thorn  to  he  hH<l, 
All  the  rest  of  my  years"  — here  she  burst  into 
tears  — 

"  I'll  have  to  be  merry  and  glad. 

I  always  sing  my  best 

When  a  cruel  thorn  is  pressed 
(So  my  friends  have  said  and  I've  frequently  read) 

Quite  close  to  my  tender  breast. 

O  birds  with  grievances  great, 

O  men  with  grievances  small, 
Think  K'^a/  it  would  be,  if  you,  like  me. 

Had  never  a  grievance  at  all !  " 

The  moral,  my  little  dear, 

Is  quite  remarkably  clear ; 
When  lessons  are  long  and  things  go  wrong. 

And  everyone's  acting  queer. 

Don't  murmur  and  bewail. 

Don't  rue  the  day  you  were  born, 
But  think  of  the  poor,  poor  nightingale. 

Who  hadn't  a  sign  of  a  thorn. 


11  w 


THE   HAUNTED   ROOM 

The  sljfn  on  hU  heart  read,  "  Room  to  Let," 
And  I  thouffht  I  would  just  look  through  ; 

The  location  wat  good,  terms  fair,  and  yet 
I  feared  it  would  hardly  do ; 

For  while  I  inspected  the  walls  and  floor 

And  furnishings  of  the  heart, 
A  ghost  came  in  at  the  bolted  door 

And  gave  me  a  sort  of  a  start. 

A  ghost  of  a  girl  with  a  movement  frail 
As  a  deep-grassed  stream.     Her  face 

Like  a  moon  ray  wandered,  ah,  how  pale. 
In  the  glow  of  that  rosy  place. 

THE   MOONLIT  RIVER. 

Dear  other  self,  whose  love  is  more  to  me 
Than  to  a  fevered  soul  are  sudden  fleams 
In  desert  wastes  of  swiftly  flowing  ^  reams, 
In  this  drear  land  my  spirit  faints  for  thee. 
Far  off  across  the  empty  miles  I  see 
Thy  radiant  face ;  its  tender  yearning  seems 
A  moonlit  river  that,  within  my  dreams, 
Flows  on  and  on  into  eternity. 

My  glad  soul  hastens  to  the  river  side. 

And  launches  forth.     Oh,  joy  beyond  compare, 

To  feel  the  heavenly  winds  that  blowing  wide. 

Fill  the  white  sail  with  an  ethereal  air. 

To  see  within  the  tremulous  deep  tide 

That  all  the  stars  of  God  are  mirrored  there. 


80 


LOVE  AND  POVERTY 

"  iy*eH  fbverty  comei  in   at  the  door  Ltvt 
fltti  out  of  the  ■window." 

[Old  Saying, 

"  O  do  not  from  the  window  fly," 

Said  Poverty  to  Love, 
"  But  to  my  bosom  come  and  I 

Will  keep  you  there,  my  dove. 

"My  harshness  needs  your  gentleness, 

My  grief  your  tender  tone. 
Your  breath  would  bless  my  spirit  as 

A  rose-vine  wreathes  a  stone." 

So  sweet  Love  flew  to  Poverty ; 

She  blest  him  heart  and  head. 
When  lo,  he  vanished  utterly 

And  Wealth  stood  in  his  stead. 

And  that  is  why,  with  smiling  air, 

The  ancient  stories  tell 
That  Poverty  ard  Love  did  .-.'tr 

Beneath  the  same  roof  dwell. 


'i' 
J|tfi/ 

If* 


THE   RED   ROSE 

What  is  that  on  your  breast,  my  lady  ? 
Burning — with  lips  apart? 
"  Oh,  that  is  a  rose. 
The  fairest  that  grows. 
And  its  thorn  is  in  my  heart." 

Why  are  its  lips  so  red,  my  lady? 
"  I  for  its  sake  have  bled ; 
My  life-blood  glows 
In  the  life  of  the  rose. 
Therefore  its  lips  are  red." 

Why  is  its  breath  so  sweet,  my  lady  ? 
Hasting  my  pulse's  beat. 
"  My  deep  love  flows 
Through  the  lips  of  the  rose, 
Therefore  its  breath  is  sweet." 

Why  does  it  wither  and  die,  my  lady? 
"  There  is  the  stinging  smart  : 
The  red  rose  dies, 
But  forever  lies 
That  cruel  thorn  in  my  heart." 


8S 


WnrNT   I  AM  WEARIEST 

O  lo-  e  who  come;;  when  I  am  weariest, 
And  lift-:  m>  biir(<.-n  from  me  by  a  word, 
Drav   .1  )t  too  neai,  for  as  a  wounded  bird 
Droops  blmdiy  t.  the  shelter  of  its  nest. 
So  would  I  feel  my  way  unto  thy  breast. 
Ah,  why  are  God's  best  gifts  on  me  conferred? 
Ihe  transport  of  the  heart,  the  spirit  stirred 
Yet  softened,  snd  this  absolute  sweet  rest. 

The  dark  and  empty-handed  day  sets  sail 
On  ruddy  waves  of  sunset,  leaving  this 
Dear  joy  beyond  all  power  to  conceal. 
All  power  to  give  ut'trance.     What  avail 
Dim  words?     You  bring  me  all  things  save 

the  bliss 
Of  knowing  how  to  tell  the  bliss  I  feel. 

GOOD-BYE 

Good-bye,  my  love ;  though  multitudes  of  years 
And  miles  and  faces  come  between  us  twain 
Though  I  should  never  hear  your  voice  again, 
btill  are  you  mine,  mine,  mine !     Not  bv  mv 
tears  —  '     ' 

You  never  made  them  flow  j   nor  by  my  fears, 
*  or  I  was  fearless  born ;  but  by  the  rain 
Of  joys  that  turned  to  seas  of  sunny  grain 
This  heart  that  showed  aforetime  slender  spears. 
Novv  on  my  clouded  day  of  life  shall  come 
No  loss.     The  streams  of  gold  that  poured 

from  suns 
Unseen,  have  turned  to  gold  this  harvest  heart  • 
I  am  all  sunlight-colored,  and  the  sum 
Of  by-gone  happiness  that  through  me  runs 
Will  make  you  mine  forever,  though  apart. 

ta 


Il ' 


LOVE'S   PHASES 

Love  has  a  thousand  phases.     Oftentimes 
For  very  joy  of  her  own  life  she  weeps ; 
Or  like  a  timid,  wistful  child  she  creeps 
To  sheltering  arms ;  or  like  a  spirit  climbs 
The  white  heights  scaled  by  poets  in  their  rhymes- 
Imagination's  lone  and  splendid  steeps — 
Or  drifts  with  idle  oar  upon  the  deeps 
Of  her  own  soul  to  undiscovered  climes. 

Hers  is  the  rapture  of  the  dying  saint, 
The  exultation  of  the  mother  when 
Upon  her  breast  her  first-born  faintly  stirs 
For  the  first  time ;  and  every  morn  doth  paint 
Upon  each  rock  and  tree  and  stream  and  glen. 
Some  inextinguishable  look  of  hers. 


AUGUST   IN   NOVEMBER 

On  this  bleak  evening,  pacing  to  and  fro 
The  silent  rooms  beneath  this  lonely  roof, 
Noting  the  echo  of  a  distant  hoof, 
Or  the  November  winds  that  wildly  blow. 

One  thought  pursues  me  whereso'er  I  go 

As  close  entwined  with  me  as  warp  to  woof 

Dear  love,  no  power  can  hold  our  hearts  aloof. 
Because  I  love  you  so !     I  love  you  so  ! 

To-night  your  shadowy  form  to  me  is  real. 
As  when  your  visible  presence  made  more  blue 
The  August  sky  and  turned  to  song  its  rain. 
Gone  is  the  storm  —  the  solitude  —  I  feel 
You  near  to  me.     What  can  November  do.' 
For  us  midsummer  days  have  come  again. 


AT  PARTING 

Good-bye  !     Good-bye  !  my  soul  goes  after  thee, 

tiuick  as  a  bird  that  quickens  on  the  wing, 

Softly  as  winter  softens  into  spring, 

And  as  the  moon  sways  to  the  swaying  sea. 

So  is  my  spirit  drawn  resistlessly  j 

Good-bye !    Yet  closer  round  my  life  shall  cling 

1  hy  tenderness,  the  priceless  offering 

That  drifts  through  distance  daily  unto  me. 

O  eager  soul  of  mine,  fly  fast,  Hy  fast ! 

Take  with  thee  hope  and  courage,  thoughts  that 

thrill 
The  heart  with  gladness  under  sombre  skies. 
O  hvmg  tenderness,  that  no  sharp  blast 
Of  bitter  fate  or  circumstance  can  chill. 
My  life  with  thine  grows  strong,  or  fails,  or  dies. 

THE   SWIFTEST   THOUGHT 

O  sounding  winds  that  tirelessly  are  blowing 
Through  the  wide  starlit  spaces  of  the  night ; 

0  eager  rains  that  sweep  the  distant  height, 
And  restless  streams  impetuously  flowing, 
And  clouds  that  will  delay  not  in  your  going 
And  ships  that  sail  and  vanish  from  the  sight', 
And  happy  birds  that  stay  not  in  your  flight. 
And  suns  upon  your  skyey  pathway  glowing  :— 

Poor  laggards  all !    One  tender  thought  outstrips 

you. 
Go,  little  thought,  and  tell  my  love  from  me 

1  care  for  him  to-day  as  yesterday. 

Ah,  how  its  strength  and  swiftness  doth  eclipse 

you  I 
For  now  the  answer  comes  invisibly 
And  instantly,  and  in  the  surest  way. 

36 


'I 


IN  A  DARK  HOUR 

Yes,  yes,  I  know  what  you  would  say,  and  yet 

Life  is  so  sweet !  life  is  so  very  sweet ! 

Leaves  dancing  in  the  sun  make  quick  the  beat 

Of  saddest  heart,  and  Love  must  still  forget 

Life's  toil  and  care,  its  fever  and  its  fret. 

How  blue  the  sky  shines   through   the  summer'! 

heat, 
How  merrily  the  blood  defies  the  sleet ; 
One  golden  hour  illumes  a  gray  year.     Let 

Those  talk  of  tears  who  never  knew  relief ; 
For  me  the  hoarded  honey  of  the  past 
Outlives  the  wintry  interval  of  pain  j 
Come  loneliness,  or  lovelessness,  or  grief ! 
The  memory  of  days  too  sweet  to  last 
Shall  make  my  heart  run  o'er  with  joy  again. 


THE  HOUSE  OF  LOVE 

My  lover  built  a  house  for  me, 

And  roofed  it  with  his  tender  smile, 

And  walled  it  with  hi&  tender  arms, 
A  little  while  —  a  little  while ; 

And  warmed  it  with  his  flaming  heart. 
And  windowed  it  with  visions  sweet. 

And  floored  it  with  the  rosy  dreams 
That  stretched  before  my  happy  feet. 

But  when  a  deathly  storm  arose. 

And  choked  the  fire  and  rent  the  floor 

My  flowering  windows  streamed  with  dark 
That  flowed  with  sunny  light  before. 

So  now  a  houseless  wanderer 

I  linger  underneath  the  sky ; 
My  house  of  love  is  left  a  wreck 

Within  the  lane  of  memory. 

Is  left  a  wreck.     But  night  once  more 
Enroofs  me  with  :;  tender  smile. 

And  gives  me  back  my  rosy  floor 
A  little  while  —  a  little  while. 


87 


THE  WORLD  WELL  LOST 

My  one  dark  love  shall  fix  the  day, 
The  solemn  day  when  we  shall  wed  ; 

Nor  know  I  if  on  green  or  gray, 
On  winter  white  or  autumn  red. 

My  happy  bridal  moon  shall  rise, 
Nor  which  of  all  the  blossoming  Mays 

Shall  wreathe  the  gates  of  Paradise 
Upon  my  dark  love's  day  of  days. 

But  this  I  know  :  her  steps  will  be 
Like  rose  leaves  falling  from  the  rose. 

Her  eyes  a  fathomless  strange  sea 
To  which  my  stream  of  being  flows ; 

And  tliis  I  know,  her  lips  will  rest 
As  lightly  (Jn  the  drowsing  lid 

As  leafy  shadows  on  the  breast 

Of  some  sweet  grave  all  flr>wer-hid. 

In  some  sweet  grave  all  flower-hid, 
A  thousand  times  the  blooms  of  May 

Shall  visit  us  the  leaves  amid, 
When  my  love,  Death,  has  named  the  d 


U 


UNKNOWN  CHILDREN 

I  meet  tliem  in  the  country  lane, 
In  village  shop  and  city  street, 

With  cheeks  all  glowing  in  the  rain, 
Or  voices  gladdening  in  the  sleet, 

Or  eyes  enraptured  with  the  snow 

The  children  I  should  like  to  know. 

How  fair  creation  is  to  them  ! 

Unweighted  by  the  cloak  of  years 
They  dance  upon  its  lustrous  hem. 

And  lose  in  rainbows  all  their  tears. 
How  easily  the  hearts  o'erflow 
Of  children  we  should  like  to  know ! 

Their  sleep  is  deeper  than  our  peace. 
Their  waking  gladder  than  our  dreams. 

Their  guardian  angels  never  cease 

To  speak  to  them  in  winds  and  streams. 

The  days  are  lifetimes,  sweet  and  slow, 

To  children  we  should  like  to  know. 

O  little  heart  !<bove  this  page. 

The  road  is  long,  the  road  is  hard. 

But  do  not  thou  obscure  in  age 
That  early  sky  so  thickly  starred. 

Keep  svveet  the  faith  of  long  ago. 

Dear  child,  whom  I  shall  never  know. 


86 


RESPONSIVENESS 

The  leaves  within  the  orchanl  walls 

Give  to  the  wind  at  play 
Light-hearted  pliinffes,  leaps  and  falls 

Throughout  the  summer  day. 
And  yet  with  still,  unswerving  power 
The  fruit  is  ripening  hour  by  hour. 

So  have  I  seen  a  spirit  strong 

Give  to  a  passing  breeze 
Of  jest  and  laughter,  mirth  and  song, 

Compliant  courtesies ; 
And  his  soul's  purpose  lost  no  whit 
Of  that  great  strength  that  flowed  to  it. 


A   HAPPY   LOT 

To-day  I  took  the  special  book 

That  doth  my  spirit  please 
Out  to  the  tree,  where,  after  tea, 

I  like  to  lie  at  ease. 

The  boughs  were  long.     A  bluebird's  song 

Blent  with  the  printed  words. 
I  seemed  to  hear  a  poet  near 

And  read  the  thoughts  of  birds. 

To  me  there's  not  a  happier  lot 
On  earth  than  comes  with  these : 

A  book  that  sings,  a  bird  that  brings 
Leaf-shadowed  reveries. 


M 


ANOTHER  YEAR 

"Another  year,"  we  mourn,  "another  year 

Has  gone,"  and  look  with   min^leil  grief  and  fear 

At  all  our  vanished  years —  a  goodly  sum 

And  think  with  pain  how  few  the  years  to  come. 

As  it  might  be  some  ignorant  small  child 
Roamii.g  in  forests  limitless  and  wild, 
Should  cry  with  apprehension,  fear  and  grief, 
"Another  leaf  has  dropped,  another  leaf." 

Compared  with  periods  that  angels  coimt. 
Six  years  and  sixty  seem  the  same  amount. 
We  mourn  the  pebbles  washe<l  into  the  sea, 
Forgetting  that  we  own  eternity. 

APRIL   BUDS 

Buds  on  the  living  tree. 

Buds  in  the  heart. 
Tree  hopes  and  heart  hopes, 

Thickly  they  start. 

If  to  the  cold  ground 

All  the  hopes  depart. 
Trustfully  looks  the  tree. 

Why  not  the  heart? 


41 


f 


NEWS  OF   LIFE 

A  bird  flew  in  at  my  window, 

"  Thai's  news  of  death,"  they  said. 

O  heart  life-packed,  it  was  heaven  you  lacked, 
As  you  suffered  and  strove  and  fled. 

A  message  of  life  you  bring  me  : 
Caught  fast  in  the  strange  unknown, 

We  strive  with  the  glonm  in  earth's  low  room, 
Then  escape  to  our  skies  —  our  own. 


I 


REMINDER 

Bold  as  thou  art, 

There  cometh  one  more  bold, 
To  turn  thy  strenuous  heart 

All  mastcrless  and  cold. 

Unmoved,  strong-stayed 

Art  thouf     Yet  cometh  one 

Whose  whisper  will  persv.id.^ 
Thee  with  him  to  be  gone. 

King  of  the  fray? 

Lord  of  the  time  and  race  ? 
And  yet  shall  come  the  ray 

To  light  thy  vacant  place. 


LUCK   IN  THE   HOUSE 

My  love  dcparta  in  the  morning ; 
Good-bye,  my  love,  good-bye  ! 
I  work  the  harder  when  you're  gone. 

The  hnppier  when  you're  nigh. 
The  busy  hours  will  bring  their  cares, 

Their  trials  great  and  small. 
Their  petty  frets,  their  vain  regrets. 
And  I  must  meet  them  all. 

For  there's  nae  luck  aboot  the  hoose, 

There's  nae  luck  at  a'. 
There's  nae  luck  aboot  the  hoose 
When  my  gude  mon's  awa'. 

My  love  returns  at  night-fall ; 

Come  in,  my  love,  come  in  ! 
About  my  waist  his  arm  is  placed, 

His  hand  beneath  my  chin. 
The  weariness,  the  troubled  thought, 

The  sense  of  weight  and  care. 
Are  all  become  as  they  were  naught. 
And  vanished  into  air. 

For  there's  great  luck  aboot  the  hoose. 

And  peace  too  deep  for  name. 

There's  great  luck  aboot  the  hoose 

When  my  gude  mon's  at  hame. 


48 


Ma  -  s  mi 


t.  t^iv 


WETHERALtr 


